To Be a Bird

Sarah Telford

Gliding gently
through the air.
I wish to soar,
go anywhere.
My song making lovely cheer,
as I spread my wings and disappear.

One of nature’s mysteries,
why they can swoop
among the trees, soaring in the blissful breeze,
all part of nature’s expertise.

With feathers
so sleek,
so shining.
Smooth and careful lining,
with colours so defining,
all perfectly aligning.

Creating two airfoils,
prevention from turmoil.
Velcro hooks form a windproof vane
to allow for flight with little strain.
With that,
a peaceful glide’s maintained.

Wings of hollow bones,
full of sacs of air,
oxygen in drones,
complete this odd affair.

The bird knows not
the ground’s constraints.
For it has none of our complaints,
free from gravity’s restraints.

“I simply do what I do best,
the skies become my main conquest.
All that you must manifest,
our bodies do with no protest.
Just admit you are impressed.”

Then there’s biomimicry.
We copy what our eyes can see
so someday we too
can perceive
escape beyond our wildest dreams,
but never quite as elegantly.

Just to leave with nature’s whim,
to go back to where it all begins,
To dig down deeply from within,
and jump off of the highest limb!

We watch in constant awe
like a dream from which we can’t withdraw,
feeling like we have a flaw,
for simply obeying nature’s law.

As they fly
their forms are blurred,
as something deep within is stirred.
Such a beauty,
in this world.
What’s it like to be a bird? 

The Science

This poem focuses on the mysterious ways in which a bird can take flight. It emphasizes the beauty of each individual bird and the movement and the feelings that a human could translate to that feeling of flying. It mentions the colorful feather arrangements and how their Velcro-hook-like-structure allows them to fly by forming a windproof vane. This microstructure allows the birds to create two efficient airfoils, aka the wings.  It also talks about the fact they have hollow bones, filled with air sacs that allow for flow of air through the lungs. Birds have a unique breathing system that keeps fresh air flowing through their lungs in one direction, both when they breathe in and when they breathe out. This constant supply of oxygen and makes their respiratory system the most efficient of all vertebrates, helping power the enormous energy needed for flight. It alludes to the fact we don’t fully understand the process through which birds can fly, and how we are still trying to define and replicate it, using biomimicry, which is a solution for design problems inspired by natural models, systems, and elements. It wraps up the graceful ease of a bird’s flight with human longing for freedom.

The Poet

Sarah Telford is a 28-year-old aspiring Canadian poet. She loves to release stress through writing all sorts of poetry and short stories. Sarah identifies as a person with a disability as she uses a wheelchair full time. She spends the rest of her free time working towards accessibility advocacy. Due to her circumstances, she is very interested in the freedom a bird has through flight.

Next poem: To the Taung Child of a Grieving Australopith Mother, Likely Killed by an Eagle by Kathleen Bryson